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DC: 8 Characters Who Betrayed The Justice League

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dc characters betrayed the justice league


The world of DC Comics has been ongoing, through many years of stories and quite a few reboots of the entire universe in the last eighty-plus years. It has been 65 years since the first edition of the Justice League hit shelves, so it is no surprise that in that time the team, and the variations on it, have witnessed many different members and some awful moments of betrayal.

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There are so many different worlds and different versions of the Justice League that every character has had a problem with the team at some point, even its most valued members. However, to actually betray the team is another matter entirely, and only a select few heroes have completely turned their backs on the Justice League for one reason or another.

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8

Aquaman

Chose His Home Over The League

90s comics Aquaman
  • Happened In: The Throne Of Atlantis
  • Published: 2012-2013

A hero who has almost always been in the different incarnations of the Justice League in DC Comics, Aquaman was not taken seriously for the longest time. Between the live-action Jason Momoa and the more serious rebooted versions of Aquaman in the comics, this hero’s reputation has become a more fierce one again.

However, in the Throne of Atlantis storyline, the hero’s attempts to stop his brother from invading the surface world with the forces of Atlantis led to Aquaman being forced to pretend he was on the side of the Ocean Master. To do this, he brawled and defeated most of his Justice League teammates in a real fight. Though this wasn’t an intentional long-term betrayal, it did lead to the League being held in captivity by Atlantis.

7

Maxwell Lord

Brutally Murdered A Hero & Attacked The League

Maxwell Lord DC comic
  • Happened In: Countdown To Infinite Crisis
  • Published In: 2005

An often morally ambiguous character, Maxwell Lord has betrayed or fought the Justice League on multiple occasions. However, the most shocking and brutal occurrence was when he attacked the League around Infinite Crisis. Blue Beetle traced a theft of funds from his company to Lord, who reveals he was keeping tabs on the superhero community, intending to wipe them out.

When Blue Beetle refuses to help Maxwell, he shoots the hero in the head and kills him. Lord then uses telepathic abilities to make Superman attack the League, leading to Wonder Woman killing Lord, and leaving DC’s three most major heroes at odds with each other for years to come.

6

Green Arrow

Worked With Amanda Waller Against The League

green arrow chases money
  • Happened In: Absolute Power #1
  • Published In: 2024

The most recent betrayal faced by the Justice League was at the hands of a beloved hero, the Green Arrow. Coerced by Amanda Waller into helping her in a plan to de-power all meta-humans, Arrow was a big part of this plan, and Waller did succeed in temporarily stealing powers from many heroes across the DC Universe.

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With the rest of the superhuman community pushed into hiding and led by Nightwing in a Resistance Movement, Green Arrow continues to fight against them before eventually turning on Waller. At this moment, he revealed he had been a spy all along, though he’d had Martian Manhunter implant a time-sensitive thought in his mind, convincing him that Waller was right. This twist saved Green Arrow as a character, but it remained a dark moment in the League’s history.

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5

Steve Trevor

Formed Another League To Fight The JL

Steve Trevor DC Comics
  • Happened In: Justice League Of America
  • Published In: 2013

Though he has never really been a member of the main Justice League roster, Steve Trevor is an army man, liaison, and frequent romantic partner to Wonder Woman. However, in the New 52 reboot of DC Comics, Steve became the head of ARGUS, was spurned in his romantic advances by Wonder Woman, and started a new “Justice League of America” team designed to take down the main Justice League.

Steve chose members specifically so they could beat the members of the main League, including Hawkman, Katana, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow. Though this team never came fully into conflict with the Justice League, these methods were a betrayal of the team, and Steve hasn’t gone back to being an official liaison for the main League since.

4

Hal Jordan

Turned Into The Villainous Parallax

Hal Jordan declares himself Parallax, marking the pivotal moment of his downfall-1
  • Happened In: Emerald Twilight
  • Published In: 1994

Hal Jordan was the primary Green Lantern in the Justice League for years, but he lost his mind and turned into a villain in the mid-90s after the villain Mongul destroyed his home city. After defeating Mongul, Hal attempted to recreate his city, but the Green Lantern Corps deemed this a violation of his oath and Hal ended up at odds with them, destroying most of the core and draining the central power battery on Oa.

Following that story, the Zero Hour event saw Jordan attempt to remake the entire DC Universe, changing the entirety of the DC Continuity. The Justice League and other heroes had to stop him, but the continuity of the DC Universe changed in many ways, and entire series were canceled while others were restarted following the events of Jordan’s breakdown. This forever damaged Hal’s reputation and brought other Green Lanterns to the forefront.

3

Snapper Carr

Believed In A Villain’s Ideas And Betrayed His Friends

Snapper Carr DC Comics
  • Happened In: Justice League Of America
  • Published In: 1969

Although a hero in his own right, Snapper Carr was never a full JL member and was considered more of a hanger-on or sidekick. His popularity dipped in the 60s and, eventually, he listened to ideas spouted by a man calling himself John Dough, who insisted the world would be better without superheroes.

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Listening to Dough, Snapper helps him capture Batman and go undercover, bringing the League into mortal danger when Dough lures them to a rally and uses microchips to make the heroes go temporarily insane. Dough was later revealed to be the Joker, but even then, Snapper said he believed in what he’d been told by the villain and decided to leave the team, making this a permanent betrayal by a longtime friend.

2

Batman

Was Always Prepared To Kill His Teammates

batman signal dc comics
  • Happened In: JLA: Tower Of Babel
  • Published In: 2000

Considered the ultimate hero in preparing for all eventualities, Batman’s paranoia goes to extreme lengths. This was most obvious in Tower of Babel, when Ra’s Al Ghul revealed and stole Batman’s plans and contingencies to stop all of his Justice League teammates if they ever went rogue. Batman himself didn’t technically betray the league, but he did provide the blueprints.

Al Ghul incapacitated the entire League so they wouldn’t interfere with his plan to reduce the population of the planet. His dangerous scheme was almost flawless, but the League managed to come back together to stop him. Batman’s mistrust of everyone nearly destroyed the planet, but his intentions were and have almost always been for the good of everyone.

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1

The League Itself

Betrayed Their Ideals & Batman

The Justice League In Identity Crisis
  • Happened In: Identity Crisis
  • Published In: 2004

The Justice League’s own morality and identity came into question in a major DC story, which led to the team’s dissolution. Wiping the mind of Doctor Light after he assaulted Sue Dibny using Zatanna’s powers led to the spinning of secrets, lies, and problems within the League.

They also wiped Batman’s mind of these events, leading him to create an overwatch satellite that caused future problems because of mistrust within the League. This story also led to a years-long rift between the DC trinity of heroes, all because the League members refused to trust each other and stop covering things up.

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